Chai Sugar Cookies
Cookies
2 cups + 2 tbsp flour or 2 cups + 2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour or 2 cups + 2 tbsp Trader Joe’s All Purpose GF flour or 2 cups + 2 tbsp of your favorite GF flour blend + ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour already contains)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch (See Notes)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
10 tbsp unsalted butter (if you only have salted butter, just omit the salt)
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp honey
1 egg
1 egg yolk
Glaze
1¼ cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp espresso or strong coffee, room temperature
Preheat oven to 350°
Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, allspice, & cloves. Set aside.
In mixing bowl of stand mixer, beat together the butter & sugar until fluffy (about 3 minutes).
Beat in honey, egg, & egg yolk until completely combined.
On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until combined. Dough should come together & pull away from sides of bowl.
Roll about 1 – 1½ tbsp of dough into ball. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart. If using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour, flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass or with a flat spatula. If using Trader Joe’s All Purpose GF flour, there is no need to flatten cookies. (See Notes)
Made with Bob’s Red Mill (heavier blend)
Made with Trader Joe’s (lighter blend)
Bake for 10-12 minutes (12-14 minutes if using regular flour) until cookies are just set & a nice golden brown color. Be careful not to over bake, or they will be a little dry.
Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Glaze
In a small-medium bowl whisk together powdered sugar & espresso until it is thick, but pourable. (If it’s too thick, add a few drops of expresso, if it’s too thin, add more powdered sugar – 1 tsp at a time.)
Drizzle glaze over cookies. Allow to set. (See Notes)
Notes:
This recipe is based on one from handletheheat.com/chai-sugar-cookies. Thanks Tessa!
Cornstarch is inherently GF, but check the label to make sure it says Gluten Free. If it doesn’t say GF, then it may have been processed in a plant that processes other products containing gluten & there is a chance of cross-contamination. This is more of a problem if you have a gluten allergy, but if you are GF by choice, then it’s your decision about the possibility of cross-contamination.
If you are using a slightly heavier blend of GF flour (like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF flour), the dough will be firm & not be sticky, so it won’t really spread much when you bake it. If you are using a slightly lighter blend of GF flour (like Trader Joe’s All Purpose GF flour), then the dough will be quite sticky, but manageable, & will spread nicely when it bakes. My taste testers thought both versions tasted the same, but they preferred the texture of the heavier flour (Bob’s Red Mill).
When drizzling glaze over the cookies, it’s a little messy. I put some of the parchment paper I used on the baking sheets under the wire cooling racks – that way you can just toss the paper & not have such a mess to clean up from your counter. I pour the glaze into a measuring cup with a pour spout. I think it’s a little easier to pour the glaze from the cup than using a spoon to drizzle it. But use the method that works best for you! If you haven’t used pourable glaze before, maybe practice on a piece of parchment paper first. It’s easy to pour too fast. The trick is pouring REALLY SLOWLY – so you get a nice thin stream. Patience is key! If you rush it, you will end up with a stream that is too thick or the glaze will kind of glop onto the cookies unevenly. But no worries if this happens – they are still delicious!
